


Something that sounds like fire

by Aarashi



Category: One Piece
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Late Night Conversations, Memories, Music, Nakamaship, Scars, Sunrises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-06 06:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20286739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aarashi/pseuds/Aarashi
Summary: Luffy wakes up thinking about fire, flames and scars. Brook plays for him.





	Something that sounds like fire

The night was clear and surprisingly illuminated. A nearly full moon painted the rail of silver, its shine making him blink when he got to the deck. A distant melody sounded somewhere above him, accompanying the tides. Luffy waited until his eyes got accustomed to the light. He had not expected to find much more than darkness.

A gust of warm breeze caressed his hair and his hat swung, hanging from his neck. He took it, almost distractedly, his fingers touching the familiar material, tracing the strands he already knew by heart. His skin still burnt at some points, his heart pounded painfully against the scar in his chest, but he ignored it all, while going through every single strand, every single memory that kept him sewn, whole, alive. He reached the place where the little white paper had been stuck long ago and he smiled, stopped. Just for a second. Then he went on, spinning and breathing, always forward. The sound of the distant violin had been lowering slowly, until it was almost drowned by the mumbling of the waves. When it died, Luffy put the hat back on his head and started walking.

His feet stopped in front of the lion head of the Sunny. Brook was sat on the deck behind, his violin in his lap and the bow still in his hand. He was looking at the instrument with his head slightly tilted, as he was hearing those last notes and wondering what came after them. He raised his head when the wood under him creaked.

“Oh, Luffy-san. What a wonderful surprise. I thought it was somebody else and it nearly frightened me to death. Even though I’m already dead. Yo-ho-ho-ho!”

Luffy smiled. He squatted until his face was more or less at Brook’s level, a bit lower. He looked at the violin.

“It sounded good.”

“Oh. Thank you. I was just thinking about a new song. Nights can be a bit long, if you spend your time alone.”

“Yeah.”

Luffy smiled again, but said nothing. Brook stared at him with the holes of his eyes.

“If you do not mind the question… What are you doing up so late?”

“I just woke up and don’t feel like sleeping anymore,” Luffy answered simply.

It was true. He did not want to sleep while he felt those flames in his body.

Brook did not answer. Luffy stood up and jumped carefully until he positioned himself on the head of the ship. After a while, the sound of the violin came back. It was not the same melody as before, though; it seemed like some solitary notes tried to find their way in the unknown of the night.

“Hey, Brook.” The violin stopped at once. Luffy had been staring at the sea with a little smile in his face. He maintained it while turning to the skeleton. “Could you play something for me?”

“Of course. Would you like to hear a lullaby, so you can sleep again?”

“Nah, not that kind of song.”

“Oh? Then tell me what you want to hear, please. It would be an honor for me to play it.”

Luffy turned to the sea once more. The waters were painted with silver and memories.

“Can you play something that sounds like fire?”

Brook stayed still for two long seconds, then let out a very soft laugh.

“Of course. Let me play this for you.”

The bow caressed the strings once more, in a long note, before breaking. It was quite low and there was no voice to accompany it, but its sound reached Luffy and beyond. There was the heat of the fire and the crackle of the flames, but there was also much more. The song talked about stories told in a wooden shelter, about hunting in the forest and about children in the mountain. It talked about pirates and ships and adventures, about brothers and promises and life, always life.

It talked about freedom.

Brook played until the flames in his chest extinguished, and then he kept on playing. He played until the silver of the ocean was replaced by fire, one day more.

Luffy stared. Still smiled.

“Thanks, Brook.”

“Yo-ho-ho-ho. My pleasure, captain.”

They watched the sunrise together.


End file.
